Safe
by thousand-miles
Summary: They'd been just in time. Just barely. He'd let the damn bastard get to her. He'd put her in danger. He had failed.


Title: Safe

Author: thousand-miles

Disclaimer: Don't own any of this

Rating: K+

Spoliers: Season 1, Blinded

Summary: They'd been just in time. Just barely. He'd let the damn bastard get to her. He'd put her in danger. He had failed.

A/N: So I'm a bit late with discovering Lie to me. But better late than never. Love the chemistry between Gillian and Cal. There's so much there. Two very interesting characters. After seeing Blinded I knew I had to write something! Not sure yet if this deserves a sequel. My native language isn't English, but I try my best not to make too many mistakes. Reviews are appreciated very much. I hope you enjoy.

**Safe**

They'd been just in time. Just barely. He'd let the damn bastard get to her. He'd put her in danger. He had failed. Now he was in the hospital waiting for her. The rage within him built but he had to push it aside. He had to take care of his partner first.

"Mr Lightman?" The nurse brought him out of his reverie. "Mrs Foster is ready to see you."

She looked so fragile to him as he watched her through the glass. He'd never considered her fragile before. He wondered if he would be able to shake the image of her bruised and battered from his mind tonight. Probably not. He could still see the fear in her eyes, even though she tried to hide it.

"Ooh you look good in black and blue." He tried to joke, hoping she would be less anxious.

"Yeah, we're quite a pair."

He had to tell her even if he didn't want to. "Reynolds had a team scour the area, but he was gone. Jenkins was instructing him. He was passing notes through one of the guards." He saw the unshed tears in her eyes. She was struggling to keep it together.

"I told you I was going to Nathalie's house right outside the door to the Cube. He must have heard us."

Sitting down next to her, he looked away from her for a moment. It was the only way to calm himself. It was his fault. " I'm sorry, luv."

"He wouldn't have gone this far, unless you were under his skin."

"Not worth it."

"You get hit and it's okay. I get hit and suddenly it's time to throw in the towel? You got to spend some time with one these victims. Then you tell me it's not worth it."

Not if it meant endangering her. It wasn't worth it. His cell phone rang before he could tell her. Talking to Torres, he couldn't shake his need to touch her, to know that she was safe. She either felt the same or she did it to reassure him. He wasn't sure. His own distress and hers made it even more difficult for him to read her.

"Let's get you home, okay." He said, after ending his call with Torres.

She nodded but didn't move. She seemed unsure. He reached out again, laying his hand on her shoulder. "I… I need help." With her arm in a sling and her bruised body, it was far from easy for her to get her clothes on, especially the ones she'd been wearing.

"Okay." He looked around for her clothes and found them on the chair on the other side of the hospital bed. Grabbing her blouse he stood before her. "How do you wanna do this?" He looked at the sling her arm was in.

She sighed. "I don't know." Her voice was soft.

He nodded. Carefully he removed the sling, and untied her robe. He carefully pushed it down her slender shoulders. He kept his eyes on her, not wanting her to feel uncomfortable. Together they managed to put her blouse on. As he buttoned the last button, he couldn't stop his hand from lingering on her pale skin. He'd imagined touching her, but he never wanted it to be in this kind of situation. After putting the sling back on, he helped her to her feet. He removed his own jacket to wrap her in it. Together they walked out of the hospital.

He wanted to take her to his place, because only then could he make sure she was safe. But he had to go to the office to make sure Torres wasn't going to screw everything up. He didn't know if Alec would be home to take care of her. And even if he was, that didn't seem enough. He had to make a wrong right again. He was the only one who could protect her. "Where do you wanna go, luv?" He decided to ask her.

Gillian took a deep breath. She really didn't want to go home, because that house didn't feel like home anymore. But she wasn't ready to tell Cal that yet. And she knew she wouldn't feel safe there. Cal made her feel safe.

"I'd rather you not be alone. So if Alec's not home."

He'd given her an out, without even knowing. "He's on a business trip."

"Then it's settled. You're coming with me." He was grateful her husband wasn't at home. He didn't have to find an excuse for her to stay with him.

Opening his front door for her, he quickly let her in and guided her to his couch. "I'll go make you a cup of tea."

In the kitchen Cal took a few calming breathes as he waited for the water to boil. He didn't know how to shake off his rage. Well he did know one way but that involved beating the crap out of Jenkins and that wasn't a real option. Still he had to get rid off his rage before Gillian picked up on it. The water boiled and he made them both a cup of tea. He joined Gillian again in his living room on the couch. He handed her the tea before sitting down next to her. They sat in silence for a while, both unsure what to say.

"Look, I gotta go back to the office to check on Torres. She's probably ruining the case right now."

"Okay."

Her voice was soft and shaky again. "Do you want me to stay?"

Yes, is what she wanted to say, but he was needed at the office. "Go. They need you."

She avoided eye contact. Knowing she wouldn't elaborate, he turned towards the door. Just as he reached the door, her voice stopped him.

"What about Emily?"

"What do you mean?"

"I..., I don't want her to see me like this."

"She's at Zoe's for the rest of the week, okay." He hesitated at the door. "I'll be back as soon as I can, okay luv. Call me, if you need me."

He returned to his home a couple of hours later, feeling exhausted. Not surprisingly he'd gone off at Torres. He'd had to find a way to blow off some steam and when it was clear she'd ignored him, she was the easiest target. He felt beating Jenkins to a pulp, but that wasn't an option. As soon as he entered his house, he went in search of Gillian. He found her where he'd left her, on his couch in his living room. Approaching her he noticed that she was curled up on his couch, appearing to watch TV. He sat down close enough for her to feel his presence, but not too close, afraid of scaring her.

"You doing okay, luv?"

Gillian shrugged. She wasn't okay. She felt insecure, vulnerable and she was cold. She wanted a change of clothes but she didn't have any.

"Is there anything I can do for you?"

"Do you have clothes for me?"

"Sure." He stood up and held out his hand for her. "Come on, I'll show you."

She accepted her hand and let him pull her up. Together, with her hand still in his, they walked up the stairs to his bedroom. They were both quiet as they entered his bedroom neither wanting to let their minds wander much about their current location. He wanted to release her hand to grab some of his clothes for her, when she tightened her fingers around his hand. She didn't want to let go, couldn't.

He was a bit surprised by her reaction, but hid it. Together they walked to his closet. He opened the drawer and pulled out some sweatpants, a t-shirt and a vest. He put his clothes down on the bed and turned to Gillian. "Do you need me to help?"

She nodded and avoided eye contact. Her feelings confused her. She felt vulnerable and exposed, but safe too with Cal by her side. And feeling safe is what she desperately needed. For the second time that day he helped her change. This time, as he pulled his shirt down, he couldn't ignore the bruises that were forming on her upper body. He couldn't help his hand form lingering. Her skin was so soft Gently he traced one of the bruises on her side. "I'm sorry." He'd done this to her.

She touched his cheek, forcing him to meet her eyes. "Don't go there, Cal. This is not your fault." For the first time since the attack her voice was strong.

Looking into her beautiful blue eyes, he was so happy she was still with him. He could have lost her today, without her even knowing what she meant to him. Careful for her bruises he pulled her into his arms. Both took comfort in the feel of the other.

Reluctantly Cal released her form his embrace. "Why don't you go to sleep? You look tired."

She nodded. She was tired, but she wasn't sure if sleep would find her. She was afraid of what the dreams would bring. She hesitated. Cal would protect her from the images that would haunt her, but she didn't want to ask. He'd done so much for her already. It didn't feel right asking for more. "Cal…"

"Yeah luv?" He asked, as he reached the door. He saw her struggling to find the right words. She didn't meet his again which made it hard for him to read her. Did she want him to stay?

"Thank you." Were the words she eventually chose.

He'd been watching a documentary when he heard her screams. He ran up his stairs, threw his bedroom door open and saw his best friend sitting right up in bed, tears running down her face. But what got to him most was the fear he saw in her eyes. He rushed to her side, sat down on the bed and gently pulled her into his arms. With soft murmurs he tried to calm her down. He gently rubbed her back. It took a while for her to calm down. When she finally did, he loosened his grip on her. "Let me go grab you a drink, okay?"

She nodded her agreement, but was reluctant to let him go. He seemed to understand. "I'll just be in the bathroom. I won't be far and I'll be right back."

He was back within a few minutes and settled down next to her again on his bed. "You wanna tell me about it?"

"He keeps on grabbing me, over and over again." She whispered. "And you can't get to me in time."

He shuddered at that thought. It would probably haunt his dreams. He'd been so relieved he'd found her in time before that bastard could've taken her. "I'm here and he can't get to you." Lying down, he pulled her with him, careful for her shoulder. "Try to get some sleep. I'll be here." He gently threaded his fingers through her hair. Within minutes she was fast asleep. Not long after that, sleep caught up with him too.

**The End**


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